The Massabesic boys basketball team has enjoyed a stellar start to their season with a perfect 8-0 record.

There have been many changes for the Mustangs who finished last year with a disappointing 1-17 record.

One of the biggest advantages for Massabesic is their high volume of seniors, including four senior captains.

“The difference has been the senior leadership,” said first-year coach Chris Binette. “They haven’t done anything unexpected, but they have all been great leaders, especially to some of our younger players. They have really kept everyone working hard and focused throughout the year.”

Considering the amount of seniors, many of these players have played together since middle school which according to Binette has helped improve the team’s chemistry.

“The kids have really gelled, they have been playing together for a long time, since the seventh grade. It’s not every day that you see a team with 11 seniors. It’s just unheard of,” said Binette. “This group of kids is smart … they are also all good kids.”

Senior captain Dawson Renaud has also noticed the difference in team chemistry since last season.

“The team has been bonding better than last year. We have a lot more team chemistry which has helped,” said Renaud.

Not only has the meshing of players helped, but the players have also responded well to Binette during his first season as coach.

“We definitely have better coaching, we have also been playing in a winning atmosphere,” said senior captain Weston Bergeron.

Both Renaud and Bergeron were all-academic nominees, and will be attending college next fall. Renaud will be attending St. Joe’s and Bergeron will be heading to the University of New England.

Not only have the seniors been pulling their weight, but a few of the younger players have stepped up as well, including sophomore Isaac DesVergnes.

“Isaac has been playing great defensively, he also gives us a lot of minutes. He has really stepped up and had made great progress for us so far,” said Binette.

Between the veteran players and the young developing ones, the Mustangs have been dynamic in all parts of the floor and have managed to win in a variety of ways – both offensively and defensively.

Binette credits the team’s depth.

“That’s just the way we are. You can’t come into a game and focus on just one or two of our players because we have other guys that can easily step in and pick up that slack,” said Binette.

With the recent success, the home crowd has also slowly been getting larger. This rise in attendance has helped the team’s confidence each game.

“The stands have been full and the kids like playing in that atmosphere,” said Binette. “The student body has been coming out, the faculty has been great. We travel well too, it’s been hard to get a seat at 7 o’clock.”

“The crowd has been great this year, it has definitely been bigger now that we have been winning,” added Renaud. “We have been clicking on offense and playing well on defense. We have been solid in both areas which has helped.”

Moving forward, Binette has stressed the importance of remaining confident while not becoming overconfident.

“That’s not an X’s and O’s thing. As a coach, it’s about getting to know your kids and what they’re about,” said Binette. “They need to know that there is a good confidence and not so good confidence. Before every practice, we have a 30-minute meeting and talk about our attitudes. It’s about playing together.”

Although the Mustangs have a perfect record, Binette sees plenty of room for improvement looking ahead to the latter part of the season.

“We can get better everywhere. We can get better defensively, our execution can be better at the end of games. But in my first year I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids and I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” said Binette.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323.